Pro golfer shoots for the stars

Updated 12:41 pm, Sunday, December 9, 2012

Pro golfer Jimmy Walker with the widefield setup he uses to photograph stars

Pro golfer Jimmy Walker with the widefield setup he uses to photograph stars

Photo: Courtesy Jimmy Walker

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A photo of the Andromeda Galaxy by Jimmy Walker

A photo of the Andromeda Galaxy by Jimmy Walker

Photo: Courtesy Jimmy Walker

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The NGC 6960 supernova remnant photographed by Jimmy Walker

The NGC 6960 supernova remnant photographed by Jimmy Walker

Photo: Courtesy Jimmy Walker

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The Rosette Nebula photographed by Jimmy Walker

The Rosette Nebula photographed by Jimmy Walker

Photo: Courtesy Jimmy Walker

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PGA Tour pro Jimmy Walker shoots at stars when he's not on the links.

PGA Tour pro Jimmy Walker shoots at stars when he's not on the links.

Photo: Courtesy Jimmy Walker

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PGA Tour pro Jimmy Walker shoots at stars when he's not on the links.

PGA Tour pro Jimmy Walker shoots at stars when he's not on the links.

Photo: Courtesy Jimmy Walker

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When he's not on the links, PGA Tour pro Jimmy Walker takes shots at the stars, using a telescopic camera to photograph distant star systems, planets and other celestial bodies.

When he's not on the links, PGA Tour pro Jimmy Walker takes shots at the stars, using a telescopic camera to photograph distant star systems, planets and other celestial bodies.

Photo: Courtesy Jimmy Walker

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Pro golfer shoots for the stars

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BOERNE — Not long after completing a round at the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational in California last month, PGA Tour pro Jimmy Walker settled in next to one of the fire pits outside the plush Spanish Bay Resort.

The Boerne resident had taken shots at flagsticks all day, but now he sat in the dark, not far from the Pacific coastline, with his smart phone in hand.

Walker, 33, was taking shots at the stars.

Using his iPhone, the golfer monitored a telescopic camera perched on a platform nearly 1,200 miles away at the New Mexico Skies facility in the Sacramento Mountains north of El Paso. Continuing a hobby he began roughly four years ago, Walker set up from a distance to take photos of distant star systems, planets and other celestial bodies.

“It's about enjoying the night sky, enjoying looking up, enjoying space,” Walker said later, back at his rustic home in Boerne. “There's a lot of artistry involved.”

The results have been remarkable.

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The world-ranked golfer, who has won more than $5 million in his playing career, has quickly become one of the rising names in the discipline of taking pictures of the heavens, known as astrophotography.

From buying a telescope four years ago to peer at the night sky from his backyard, often simply as stress relief from the demands of competition, Walker has now heavily invested in the type of equipment, including cameras, telescope mounts, computer software and intricate tracking mechanisms, that allows him to literally shoot for the moon — and so much farther.

“It's funny, he was so excited to sit down and see my process,” said Dallas resident John Davis, known as a pioneer in wide-field mosaic astrophotography. “Looking at his work, I said, ‘Dude, obviously you've got this.' He's a very, very intelligent guy, and you know you have to have a certain amount of discipline to do it. He's got that.”

Davis, best known as the creator of the hit animated television series “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” on Nickelodeon, said Walker shares common traits with other noted astrophotographers.

“When I got into it, it was like all my interests culminating in one hobby: outdoors, space, computer software and photography,” Davis said. “Man, it's very addictive. From his ability, Jimmy got that, too.”

It's an expensive addiction. Walker says he's spent more than $25,000 on equipment, not including the rental of space at the New Mexico Skies complex, roughly 7,300 feet up in Mayhill, N.M.

Located in what is considered one of the country's great “dark spots,” with settled, clean air and an absence of light pollution from nearby civilization, Walker and 29 other clients have their cameras and telescopes set up on site for superb night viewing.

Run by Mike and Lynn Rice, the site 32 miles from Alamogordo is also used by universities, NASA and other countries.

“As technology changes, everyone is reaching for more,” said Lynn Rice, who like her husband is an expert in maintaining robotic telescope systems. “It just gets better and better. Jimmy is doing amazing work.”

Walker does so with the support of his wife, Erin. A nationally recognized equestrian competitor in the jumpers division, she said she understands his passion to do something different than his regular job.

“It's fun that he has that outlet,” said Erin, who is pregnant with the couple's second child. “It's the same with me. He's really tolerant of my weird hobby. It's a great stress-reliever from golf.”

After buying his initial telescope four years ago, Walker found himself more and more intrigued by astrophotography. He invested more and more in better equipment, and began seeking out darker, less-populated areas such as Cordillera Ranch near Boerne and Vanderpool for better viewing.

“I ventured outside of town,” he said. “I found that the camera is so sensitive that it picks up anything.”

After months of studying and upgrading — and some frustration over not getting the clearest shots at the sky in and around San Antonio — Walker decided over the summer to take the next step. He moved his gear onto a mountaintop in New Mexico.

From his iPhone, iPad or desktop computer, Walker controls his equipment in New Mexico, shooting at distant objects, usually hidden from the naked eye. The digital photography is downloaded overnight.

The self-taught space photographer, using specific software, is able to draw forward the images from the darkness and provide the appropriate color and detail. The results are colorful, dynamic photos of famous celestial sights such as the Horseshoe Nebula, Christmas Tree cluster and Andromeda Galaxy.

Walker shares and discusses his photos in online forums and with experts such as Davis and others.

“I'm not going to say I know a ton about what I'm looking at,” Walker said, “but I enjoy capturing the photos and the artistry of it. I'm getting better at it, and I'll keep getting better.”